⚠️ SPOILER AHEAD ⚠️

I've already read the first six books in the Squishy Taylor series but when the opportunity arose to revisit where her story began I jumped at the chance. It's been almost two years (wow, that’s flown!) since I first discovered Squishy in my local library and I wanted to know if she was still as adorable as I remembered. Of course she was!

I love Squishy. I love her bonus sisters (twins Jessie and Vee). I love her baby brother. I love her Mum, her Dad and her bonus Mum. I love all of the extra people you meet as you explore Squishy's world, even the cranky, mean ones. Squishy is one of my favourite book kids. She’s one of those people that you say, “You’ve got spunk, kid!” to, even though you can’t remember the last time you called someone ‘kid’ and you’ve never told one they have ‘spunk’ before.

This series is aimed at kids from 9 to 14 years but I would have probably read this when I was around 7 or 8. In the series Squishy is an adorable, energetic 11 year old, with her bonus sisters five months older and a grade higher at school. I also personally feel they tend to act younger than 11 but it’s not like I have a lot of kids in my life to compare them with.

I expect this series and especially the first book would helpful for readers who are new to blended families. I appreciate that the situation Squishy finds herself in is realistic. While she Skypes her Mum each day, she misses seeing her face to face. She's having trouble adjusting to the new family that's been moulded together when her Dad remarried. She feels ganged up against by her twin stepsisters. I absolutely adore the idea of having bonus people in your life; for example, bonus sisters instead of stepsisters. The concept of bonus puts such a positive spin on a difficult situation [⚠️ SPOILER! ⚠️ and Squishy’s attitude realignment is a pivotal scene in the first book ⚠️ END OF SPOILER! ⚠️].

Squishy and her bonus sisters get into trouble. At times they’re manipulative and make downright dodgy decisions to do mean things to people, but they’re kids. They bounce off one another and come up with schemes they’d never dare to try to pull off alone. Overall they’re sisters with big hearts who want to help people and love to solve mysteries in their neighbourhood.

Baby siblings rarely get named in children’s books these days for some reason and this was the book that made me notice it. In this series, I’ve only ever known Baby as Baby (so far). Perhaps he’ll get a name at some point.

Throughout the series I’ve really loved Ben Wood’s illustrations. The pictures have a fun energy about them and Squishy’s personality in particular shines through. You get the sense he really enjoys bringing this family to life and unlike a lot of children’s books I’ve read recently, Ben’s illustrations work with the feel of the book and what’s happening in the pictures lines up with what’s happening in the story. A few months ago I wouldn’t have commented on something that seems so trivial but after the amount of images I’ve seen recently that appear to have little to do with the details mentioned in the story, this has become a new selling point for me.

Squishy asks the all important question when making a decision in this book: “Which is more fun?” (page 1). A lot of adults could learn something from her.

Naturally because I've just reread the first book in the series I’ll need to reread the others as well before I read books 7 and 8 for the first time. 😃 Thank you so much to NetGalley and Capstone for reminding me how much I love Squishy.

Squishy (nee Sita) is living in an apartment with her father, stepmother, new half brother, and older twin stepsisters. Her mother took a job in Geneva, Switzerland, and since Squishy didn't want to leave her school or her friends, she contents herself with video chats with her mom and trying her best to share a room and get along with Vee and Jessie. When Squishy is in the apartment parking garage, she meets a boy who has run away from home. "Not-John" Smith, as she calls him, asks Squishy to bring him food, and she obliges, because she thinks his father might be the evil Mr. Hinkenbushel, who often yells and the Taylor children for being loud in the hallway. Vee finds out about the boy, and insists on being included. In the meantime, the girls gang up against Mr. Hinkenbushel to get revenge, and leave dog poop on his doormat, which ends up stinking up the entire apartment hallway. Eventually, the boy's father (who has thought that he was with a grandmother) puts out a flyer to find him, and Squishy finally decides to tell people about him.

Strengths: This is the first book in a long series of chapter books aimed at 2-5 graders. The illustrations are charming, and the characters are well developed. I enjoyed the fact that the parents were all involved and supportive, if a little clueless. The realities of dealing with a blended family will appeal to readers who have to deal with them and those who can only imagine what it is like to have "bonus: siblings. I love that the fact that Squishy is half Indian is hardly even addressed; that's what we are looking for now in diversity.

Weaknesses: Squishy is not a nice child. The incidents with Mr. Hinkenbushel show a lack of understanding and real mean spiritedness. She also should have known to tell an adult right away about "Not-John".
What I really think: Even with my increase in struggling readers, I think I will pass. The hardcovers are $19, and while paperbacks are only about $6, they don't hold up. I may read the next book to see if Squishy gets any nicer, especially since the rest of the series has more mystery, and I did like most of the other characters in the book.

“Squishy” Taylor has recently moved in with her father and step-family, or as her father puts it, Bonus family. She meets an unexpected friend and begins trying to unravel the mystery behind why he’s sleeping in the apartment garage.

I really liked reading about Squishy. The family dynamics were great and it’s a great story for kids who are adjusting to a newly blended family.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

This sounded really interesting, a girl whose nickname is Squishy, and who is a ninja-detective. Plus the cover looked good. I just had to try it out.

A big fat -1 star for the revenge stuff they did/wanted to do on their grumpy neighbour. They made a site, youtube stuff (good job on getting evidence that you are the culprits, really kids are so stupid at times). Not only that, but their revenge ideas are just disgusting and terrible. Spreading dog poo all over his doormat? Not to mention the things they wanted to do. Yes, the guy is a grump. Yes, he is pretty terrible, but to do all this? No, just no. That is just wrong. You are no better, I would even call you worse than he is with his constant complaining.

-1 star for the sister stuff. It just felt all too magical with how they became friends. The first few pages were Squishy talking about how bad they were and what she did to them, and boohoohoo, but then a few pages later she is friends with one sister, and the second one follows quickly after. Sorry, but it was just too unbelievable to me. I don't buy it.

The John situation was interesting but I feel that it was slightly pushed to the background because of other things, plus it didn't feel like it was added to make the book more interesting, but more like it was added conveniently for the sisters to find out that they can be friendly towards each other. Which is a shame. I feel like the John plot could have been much more.

There are some illustrations here and there and they are really nice, they remind me of another illustrator, I have their name on the tip of my tongue... *thinks* mm, ah yes, Mark Janssen. He just has the same style! :)

So yeah, I can't really rate this book that highly, which is a shame, it does have potential to become really good, but it just lacks a few things, and the magical plot conveniences are just too much.